Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: ABSTRACT This study formed part of a developmental project in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area of Finland during 2003 2011 that aimed to develop nutritional care in long-term care facilities. The aim of this study was to assess tooth brushing/denture cleaning habits, dentition, chewing problems, and swallowing difficulties and their associations with nutritional status and eating habits. Furthermore, the aim was to explore the prognostic value of dentition, chewing problems and swallowing difficulties in relation to mortality. In addition, the adequacy of the dietary intake of energy, protein, and other nutrients was examined. Of all the residents in assisted living facilities (N = 2188) in the cities of Helsinki and Espoo, 67% (1475) participated in this study in 2007. Trained registered nurses familiar with the residents assessed each participant and collected demographic data, the medical history, information on the functional and cognitive status, tooth brushing/dentition cleaning habits, dentition, oral symptoms, eating habits and diets. The nutritional status was assessed with the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). In addition, 343 volunteer residents provided one-day food diaries. Their energy, protein, and nutrient intakes were calculated from these detailed food diaries and compared with the recommendations of the Finnish National Nutrition Council as a measure of dietary adequacy. Information on three-year mortality was retrieved from central registers on 6 July 2010. The mean age of the residents was 83 years and 79% of them were women. The educational level was low; 56% of the residents had a primary school level of education or less. In activities of daily living, most residents (84%) required at least prompting or assistance in dressing, hygiene and the keeping of personal effects, or required considerable help with personal care, often involving incontinence. Over half of the residents (55%) had cognitive impairment. Edentulousness was common; more than half of the residents (52%) had lost all their teeth, while 7% (n = 94) were totally edentulous without prosthesis. Of the residents, 17% did not clean or had not cleaned their teeth/dentures daily. According to the MNA, 13% were malnourished, 65% were at risk of malnutrition and 22% were well nourished. Edentulousness without prostheses and infrequent tooth brushing were associated with malnutrition, oral symptoms and infrequent use of oral health care services. Residents with chewing problems (n = 287) were older, had more comorbidities and were more likely to be malnourished according to the MNA, to be dependent in activities of daily living (ADL) and to have poorer subjective health than those without chewing problems. In logistic regression analysis including age, sex, MNA class and the Charlson´s Comorbidity Index as covariates, chewing problems still independently predicted mortality (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.10 1.93). Of the residents, 12% (n = 173) had swallowing difficulties and they were more likely to be malnourished that those residents without swallowing difficulties. Swallowing difficulties also had an independent predictive value for mortality (OR = 1.49, 95% Cl = 1.04-2.12). Large proportions of volunteer participants in the subsample that provided one-day food diaries received less than the recommended amounts of energy, protein or micronutrients. The dietary intake of protein was significantly lower among edentulous subjects without dentures than those with natural teeth. In the adjusted (age, gender and Charlson s comorbidity index) logistic regression model, being in Group 1 (edentulous participants without dentures) and Group 2 (edentulous participants with some removable dentures in one or both jaws) predicted a poorer protein intake (less than 60 g/day; OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.0 5.7, p = 0.042 and OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.0 2.6, p = 0.045, respectively) compared with the reference Group 3 (dentulous participants all or some natural teeth and with or without removable dentures in one or both jaws; OR = 1). Oral problems were common among frail older residents in assisted living facilities and they were associated with nutritional problems. These findings suggest the need for co-operation between nursing staff and oral care personnel.
Source: Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja
Author: Riitta K. T. Saarela
Language: English
Subfield: Speech and Hearing
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1544319388